Gender and violence against women in nursing literature: a review

In the scientific production on inequalities in relationships between men and women, studies on violence against women and the urgency to recognize it as a public health problem stand out. Objective: considering the potential of nursing to expand understanding on this theme, this study aims to learn what is being published on gender and violence against women in the main Brazilian nursing journals. Method: an integrative review of online publications between 2000 and 2012 was conducted. Of the 138 articles selected, 25 addressed gender and violence against women as social constructs. Results: there was a predominance of qualitative approaches (60%), empirical research (60%), academic (100%), authors who were nurses (96%), spousal violence (32%) and domestic violence (20%). Violence against women in the light of gender was associated in only 32% of the articles. Conclusion: there is a need for increased studies in partnership with the public health care service, and to expand discussions on the dynamics of power and resistance, which are the basis of the concept of gender.